Valve-controlling means for flush-tanks.



w.' u GRIFFITHS.

VALVE CONTROLLING ME-ANS FORFLUSH TANKS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 25 .1916- Patented Apr. 29, 1919.

WILLIAM U. GRIFFITHS, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

VALVE-CONTROLLING- MEANS FOR FLUSH-TANKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 29, 1919.

Application filed October 25, 1916. Serial No. 127,548.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM- U. GRIF- rrrns,a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the, city ofPhiladelphia, county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful I1nprovements in Valve-Controlling Meansfor Flush-Tanks, of, which thefollowing is a specification.

One of the principal objects of my invention is to provide means wherebythe valve for closing the outlet port of a flush tank may be held moretightly closed than is now the case as far as I am aware.

A further object of my invention is to provide means whereby a force,other than that due to the weight of the valve and parts associatedtherewith, may be applied to the said valve or to a part connectedtherewith to exert an additional pressure or force upon the said valveto hold it normally tightly and closely shut.

A further object of my invention is to provide means whereby arelativelysmall weight may be caused to exert a relatively great force upon thevalve closing the port opening into a flush pipe leading from the watertank to the part which is desired to flush with water from said tank.

' Other objects and advantages of my invention will be hereinafterpointed out in the detailed description of my invention which follows orwill be apparent from such description.

In order that my invention may be more readily understood and itspractical advantages more fully appreciated reference should be had tothe accompanying drawings in which Ihave illustrated one form of aconvenient embodiment thereof. It will be understood, however, thatchanges in the details of construction may be made within the scope ofthe claims without departing from my invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of mechanismembodying my invention and also showing portions of the flush tank .insection and the outline of two sides of the flush tank, and the watertherein being indicated by dash and dot lines; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1. 1

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the bottom of a flush tank towhichwater is supplied through a pipe- 2. The flow of water through saidpipe is controlled by a valve 3, the latter being controlled by means ofa pivoted cam acting member 4, actuated by the rise and fall of a float5. The rising and falling of the float 5 is occasioned by therising andfalling of the water 6 within the flush tank in known manner. When thefloat 5 is in the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings the valve 3is in closed position and is permitted to open under the influence ofthe pressure of the water in the pipe 2, as the float 5 falls or movestoward the bottom 1 of the flush tank.

. Normally the water in the flush tank is in the position indicated inFig. 1.

10 designates ashort section of pipe which is adapted to be connectedwith a flush pi e (not shown) having connection with t e part to beflushed, as for instance, a water closet bowl. Normally the upper end ofsaid pipe or other port through which the water is adapted to bedischarged from the tank is closed by means of a valve 11 pivotallysupported at 12 upon a lever 12 pivoted at 13. The outer swinging end ofthe lever 12 is provided with a float 14 thebuoyancy of which, whenacted upon by water in the tank, tends to lift the valve 11 to open theport. Normally however upward movement of the float 14 is preventedbythe action of aweight 17, the said weight being supported upon theouter end portion of an angular arm or member 18, pivoted at 19 upon abracket 20 projecting upwardly from an upper endportion of the sectionof pipe 10.

When the lever 12 is in a substantially horizontal position, as shown inthe drawing with the valve 11 in closed position, the arm 18 extendstransversely of the said lever and is in contact with and bears upon thesame, as shown very clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The point uponthe arm 18 which is in contact with the lever 12 is relatively near thepivotal point 19 of the said arm.

When it is desired'to open the valve 11, the same is lifted in knownmanner by the action of acrank 21 through a link 21', the latter havingconnection at its 'upper end with the said crank and at its lower endwith the lever 12*. Upon turning the crank 21 into the positionindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawing, the valve 11,lever12 and float 14 are lifted upwardly into the position indicated bydotted lines in Fig. 1.

The arm 18 is provided with a portion till .the outlet port into theflush pipe.

which occupies a substantially horizontal position when the lever 12 isin its lowermost position to close the valve 11, as shown in Fig. 1 andalso with the portion 22 extending downwardly substantially at rightangles to the horizontal portion. These two portions are connected bymeans of a diagonally extendingcam acting portion 23. The outer end ofthe portion 22 is bent and inclined inwardly as indicated at 2'4: andconstitutes a stop to limit the upward movement of the lever 12. Theweight 17 is supported upon the portion 22 of the arm 18.

lVhen the arm 12 is lifted by the crank 20 and link 21 it causes anupward swinging movement of the arm 18 and by reason of the presence ofthe cam acting portion 22 the arm 18 is thrown and moved to a posi--tion so as to transfer the line=of the center of gravity of the combinedweight of said arm and the weight 17 from the right hand to the lefthand side of the pivot 19. The

movement of the arm toward the left is limited by the-contact thereofwith the stop 26 upon the upper end of the'bracket 20-. As soon as thelever 12 is lifted to open the valve 11. the water begins to flowthrough The buoyancy of the float 11 is sufficient to support the lever12 in position to hold the valve 11 open, but as the water in the tankfalls the float 14 falls until finally the lever 12 strikes theprojection 27 which occupies the position shown in dotted lines in Fig.2 when the arm 18 is in the dotted position shown in that figure. Theweight of the valve 11, lever 12 and the float 14 upon the saidprojection 27 is sufficient to cause pivotal movement of the arm 18toward the right to carry the same into position so that thelineofgravity of the combinedweight thereof and of the weight 17 is moved tothe 4 right hand side of the pivot 19, after which the said arm underthe influence of its own weight and that of the weight 17 falls into theposition shown in full lines in Fig. 2 and operates to hold the lever 12in depressed position with the valve 11, tightly closed,-

notwithstanding the tendency to move upward under the influence of thebuoyant'action of the float 14, as the water rises in the maintains thewater in the tank at a height sufiicient to act upon the float 1 1 toprevent the valve 11 from seating closely against its seat. In otherwords, the valve is held partially open or is cracked so that the watercontinues to 'flow through the outlet port and the "tank does not fill.Then a device embodying my invention is employed it operates as abovedescri-bedtoclosetightly the valve for theoutlet port and thus avoidsthe difficulty just referred to.

I claim H v 1. In combination, a pivotally swinging valve for closing aport, a pivoted device adapted to contact with a, portion of the valvestructure tor holding the valve in closed position when once closed, thesaid device swinging in a plane-evtending transversely of the: plane inyvhieh the said valve swings, and the said device: being lifted bycontact therewith of a portion of said valve structiue-w-hen thelatteris lifted toopen the said valve.

2. In combination, a; pivotally movable valve structure for closing aport of a flush tank, means for opening and closing the said valvestructure, means extending transversely of the. plane of movement of andcontacting witlrthe-sa-id valve structure for holding the same in closedposition when once closed, and the said valve structure when lifted teopen position acting upon said n'i'eans to lift the same.

3. In combination, a pivoted valve structure for closing a. port,. saidvalve structure moving in a verticalpl'ane, meansfor causing movement ofvalve structure to open and close said port, and a pivoted deviceadapted to fall upon said valve structure as it moves toward itsclesedposition to cause asudden closing movement of the same and to exertpressure upon the same to hold it in tightly closedposition afterit'-has once been closed,

4. In combination, pivotal swinging valve for closing a port, a pivoteddevice adapted to contact with a portion of the valve structure asholding the valve in closed position when once closed, the said deviceswinging: in a plane extending transversely of the plane in which thesaid valve swings, and the said device being' iifted by contacttherewith oi 'aportien (if said valve structi'ire when the latter islifted to open the said valve, said device being-provided with means atits outer end for contacting with a'p orti on of the said'val'vestru'eture for limiting the epenin'g movement thereof;

5. In combination, a lever-pivoted at one end, a valve pivotallysupported uponsaid lever intermediate its ends which valve is adapted toclose a port e-f a flush tank, a buoyant device supported upon the outersw in ging'end of said lever, means for lifting the said lever t'o-openthe said valve and to penni't' a flow'of water from the said tankthrough the said port, an pivotally supported adjacent to said lever andswinging in a planetransv'ersely' ef sa id "lever and normally restingupon said lever said arm being adapted. tobe liftedand swung ab'out itspivot by the upward movement of the said lever-and the said arm beingprovided with means which is adapted to be contacted with by the saidlever as the latter falls to close the said valve, the weight of thesaid lever, the said valve and the said buoyant means causing movementof the said arm about its pivot in the position to again rest upon thesaid lever.

6. In combination, a lever pivoted at one end, a valve pivotallysupported upon said lever at a point intermediate its ends and adaptedto close an outlet port of a flush tank, a buoyant device havingconnection with said lever and tending to move said valve into openposition, a weighted device pivotally supported adjacent to said leverand normally resting upon the same to prevent upward movement thereofand means for lifting the said lever to open the said valve, suchmovement of said lever causing an upward swinging movement of the saidweighted device, substantially as described.

7. In combination, a lever pivoted at one end, a valve connected withsaid lever at a point intermediate its ends and adapted to close anoutlet port of a flush tank, a buoyant member carried upon the outer endof said lever, said member tending to move upwardly under the influenceof water in the said tank, an arm pivotally supported adja cent to thesaid lever, the pivot of said arm being substantially parallel with theadjacent portion of said lever, a weight carried upon said arm, the saidarm normally extending across and resting upon the said lever to holdthe same in depressed position, means for lifting the said lever to openthe said valve and to cause a swinging movement of said arm about itspivot to transfer the line of the center of gravity of the combinedweight of the said arm and the weight carried thereby to the oppositeside of the pivot thereof from that occupied by the said lever, the saidarm having means for limiting the upward movement of the said lever andthe said arm also having means whereby the said lever as it descendscauses pivotal movement of the said arm into its normal positiontransversely of and in contact With said lever.

8. In combination, a pivoted member, a valve secured to said member,said valve being adapted to open and close a port, a pivotally supportedarm provided with a weight, a distance from its pivot, said arm swingingin a plane at right angles to the said pivoted member and the said armbeing adapted to rest upon the said member, when the latter is in itslowermost position with the valve secured thereto closing said port, tohold the said valve tightly closed and means for lifting the said memberto open the said valve.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have hereuntosigned my name this 23rd day of October, A. D. 1916.

WILLIAM U. GRIFFITHS.

Klopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

sshington, D. U.

